Second Chances
by Florence-in-Silver
Summary: Modern continuation of the show. After over one thousand years the figures of legend return and find themselves gravitating toward Albion College on the banks of Lake Avalon, but with no memory of who they truly are. Merlin, having waited so long for Arthur's return, finds out that he has a second chance to help the people around him, to do it right this time.
1. Chapter 1

**SPOILERS for the series finale.**

**This is a modern setting fic, but not exactly au. Kilgharrah hinted that Arthur would one day return from death to rule again. I made so every character was reborn in modern times, but with no memory of their past lives. Only Merlin, who was alive in the finale flash forward scene, knows who they truly are.**

* * *

Chapter One

Professor Gaius observed his new class with his usually scowl, one eyebrow cocked. He had taught at Albion University for over fifty years, so he knew quite well the type of students who took beginner's chemistry. Sure, he loved his advanced chemistry courses with his serious and passionate students, but any entry-level course was overcrowded with foolish freshman and apathetic upperclassmen just trying to get a science credit. He eyed this lot with an utter lack of enthusiasm - noting the almost excessive amount of football players - before returning his attention to the role call. Most of the names ran together in a blur, but about a dozen, once connected to the faces, stuck in his mind.

"Camlann, Mordred," he called out and a freshman raised his hand.

"Drew, Kara."

"Here."

"Ferrer, Guinevere."

"Here," replied a pretty girl with a shy wave of her hand, "and you can call me Gwen."

"Godwyn, Elena."

"Here," said a ditsy looking blonde girl.

"Lafayette, Morgana."

A pale girl raised her hand without a word. Gaius recognized her from the biology department, so at least he would at least have one student interested in the sciences. Her sleek dark hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she met Gaius' gaze through black-rimmed glasses, giving him a sudden feeling of unease. He put it out of mind as he moved on down the list.

"Nemeth, Mithian."

"Here."

"Orkney, Morgause."

"Here," drawled the girl next to Morgana. She was blonde and haughty, sitting in her chair like it was a throne. Her eyes were rimmed with dark makeup, making her look like a raccoon in Gaius' opinion.

Owain, James and Pellinore, Ian both sat at a table together with several other athletes.

"Pendry, Arthur," continued Gaius, though he didn't need to call role to know this boy. He was the dean's son, captain of the football team, and quite arrogant as Gaius understood it.

"Peredur, Percival."

"I go by Percy," said a brawny boy sitting with Arthur.

"Seward, Tyr."

"H-here," stammered a nervous-looking fat boy.

And finally "Thorne, Ewan," a footballer with a brace on his knee.

Gaius let out a sigh and straightened his tweed jacket before turning to the chalkboard to begin explaining the gas laws.

* * *

"Seems like it will be a good class," chirped Morgana as she and Morgause walked to the campus coffee shop. "I liked the way Professor Gaius tied the lecture into Global Warming. He made it seem really relevant."

"I can't believe we have homework on the first day. I have a history thesis to work on and I can't worry about bloody chemistry."

"I still can't believe you're graduating in two semesters. It'll be so dull here without you."

"Well, we'll just have to make the most of this year, then," said Morgause with a smile that showed off her brilliantly white teeth. "Why don't we go to Club Sun tonight. The DJ is supposed to be really good."

"Hell fucking yeah. I need to jam as much partying in as I can before midterms."

"You're taking like three science and maths courses this semester. You've got that shit. Midterms will be a breeze."

"But I'm also taking French with Professor de Bois and I'm pretty sure he hates me."

"Then why take it."

"Because I want to go to France for a semester next year and I don't want to sound like a buffoon when I talk to people."

They paused for a moment to order tea from the barista, who Morgana recognized from her microbiology course freshman year. His name was Will or something and fortunately he was far better at preparing hot beverages than he had ever been at remember the parts of a cell.

"So, have you decided on your thesis topic yet?" continued Morgana once they had sat down.

"Vaguely. I want to do something with the druid people and the rise of patriarchy in Old Britain. I need to narrow the topic down, of course, but I'm meeting with Professor Annis tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Who were the druids, anyway?"

"They were priests and priestesses during the Iron Age. They built Stonehenge and stuff like that and practiced magic."

"Oooh," said Morgana mockingly, though her stomach churned at the mention of magic.

* * *

Arthur Pendry had been at Albion University for a week before classes started, along with the rest of the football team, helping to train the new freshmen. It was his first year as team captain, but he had been playing with most of the guys for two years. They worked well together, knew how keep their positions and not hog the ball, and some of the new members looked promising. One in particular, Mordred, was off to a great start. He had a slight, speedy build and would make a great forward, which they needed now that Ewan had torn his ACL.

Coach Tristan opened the door of the locker room and shouted at them to get their arses on the field, startling Arthur out of his ruminations. The guys scrambled to get their shin guards on and laces tied.

"How come it takes you so long to get dressed?" Gwaine asked Percy, sporting his usually lopsided smirk.

"It's 'cause I'm bigger than you, little man," answered Percy calmly.

"Right, he doesn't even need to try to be goalie. He just sits there and blocks the whole net," said Elyan, getting a chuckle from the team.

Arthur patted Percy on his broad shoulder.

"Right, we'd better go… before coach skins us."

The field looked out on Lake Avalon, just off the campus boundary. It was small, hardly more than a pond, and had a tiny island in the middle with a narrow stone tower jutting up from the centre. On the sunny days, its banks would be strewn with students, but they never ventured over to the island, even though there was a little wooden boat always tied up to the dock. That afternoon, however, the lake was empty due to the recent rainstorms that left the ground soggy and the air pungent with the smell of ozone. The players moved sluggishly, the mud grabbing hold of their cleats and only letting go with a squelching noise. During a mad dash for the goal, Mordred's shoe came clear off and he tripped face first into the mud. By the time practice was over, they were all filthy with sweat and grime.

Showered and back in dry clothes, they strolled together back toward the residential side of campus, passing by the tennis courts on their way, so Elyan could wave to his girlfriend, Mithian. His teammates all awed and clutched their hearts dramatically at the sight.

"Just because I have sex on a regular basis doesn't mean you all have to be jealous," he said.

"Oh, I'd say on the whole we do alright," said Gwaine, giving Arthur and Leon a slap on the back. "Although, since Arthur and Vivian's crushing break up, I'm not sure if he's gotten _any_. And that was over a month ago."

Arthur just shook his head.

"So, what do you say, lads. Club Sun tonight?" finished Gwaine.

* * *

Gwen hated walking back from orchestra practice at the Camelot Centre of the Arts. It was the only school-owned building that wasn't actually on campus. It was about five blocks away, right on the town's Main Street, not a difficult walk unless you happened to be lugging a 30 pound case and cello with you.

"Excuse me, would you like a lift?" a voice called out from a car pulling over beside her.

Gwen was about to shy away when she recognized the driver as a violin player who sat in the row in front of her.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks." She sat her instrument in the back seat and joined the violinist in the front.

"I don't think we've properly met. I'm Lancelot." He held out a hand politely to her.

"Gwen," she said, shaking his hand. He was new to the orchestra, yet looked too old to be a freshman. She had spent the practice looking at the back of his head, but, she had to admit, the front was even better. He had soulful brown eyes, tan skin, and a faint accent that she couldn't quite place.

"So are you a transfer student to Albion?" she asked.

"No," he said, pulling the car away from the curb, "I work there as a security guard. I just moved into town over the summer."

_He was older, then,_ Gwen thought. After her last relationship she was open to idea of older, more mature men.

"You work under Aredian, then? I hear he's a terror."

"A nightmare," Lancelot agreed. "I think he'd burn students at the stake for littering if the law would let him. It's the first day and he's already made a student cry."

Gwen giggled.

"Are you off for the night, then?" she asked.

"No, I have the graveyard shift, patrolling campus. Why?"

"There's this bar by campus, The Rising Sun, but everyone just calls it Club Sun. I don't know if you've been there, but it's decent. Well, about as decent as you'll get in this town."

"I haven't. Maybe you could show it to me another night. So where should I drop you off?"

"Er, I live in Longstrong Hall, so by the quad would be fine."

He pulled over.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Gwen. I'll see you next practice."

"Yes, and thank you so much for the ride," she said, retrieving her cello. She practically skipped up the stairs and into her room.

"You look happy," said her roommate, Elena. "Are you going to go to the club tonight?"

"Yeah, but not too long. It is a Monday night and all. Do you want to come? I bet Leon will be there."

Elena blushed and nodded.

Just then there was a knock at their door. Gwen opened it to reveal a slender young man with black hair and high cheekbones.

"Sorry to bother you," he said in a voice that was deeper than she expected. "Do either of you have a cooking pan I could borrow?"

"Sure thing," said Gwen, getting one from her shelf. "Hey, I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Gwen."

"Yeah, I just transferred here. My name's Merlin."

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

**Quick Author's Note: I changed the name of the club to Club Sun to reference the Rising Sun tavern in the show. Also, those of you waiting for some Mergana action, it's going to take awhile to develop. In the meantime, there will be some unhealthy, yet saucy Gwaine-Morgana stuff going on.**

* * *

Chapter Two

"Madcap Mondays" and "Why Not? Wednesdays" were a longstanding tradition at Albion College and occurred far more often than the dean cared to admit. Students planned their schedules around them, carefully avoiding classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays or at least choosing only ones in the afternoon. The athletes especially, who often had to rise early on Saturdays for practice, relished their chance at a midweek weekend, so to speak, two school nights that could be spent drinking and dancing into the wee hours of the morning. Those unfortunate few who did have class would drag themselves out of bed and into their classrooms the following day, where they would sit slumped and with glazed expressions, usually hidden behind sunglasses. Being the only decent bar and music venue within walking distance, Club Sun was packed on the first Madcap Monday of the year.

Morgana had swapped her glasses for contact lenses and let her long hair hang down straight and shiny. Like Morgause, she was dressed in all black and adorned with black lipstick and several silver studs in her ear. Dark eye makeup ringed her eyes, trailing into a small curl that extended from her eye to her the top of her cheek. Morgause's boyfriend Cenred, himself wearing a fair bit of eyeliner, was getting them drinks when the football team entered the club together.

"The beefheads are here," said Morgause scathingly.

"God, they travel in packs," said Morgana, turning to watch them enter. One of them, a somewhat scruffy looking guy with a cocky smile, winked at her. She felt her face heat up and turned away from him to hide it.

Cenred returned with their drinks.

"You know, a friend of mine is a resident at the hospital. He owed me a favour, so I got him to pick me up a few things from the pharmacy," said Cenred, pulling out an orange bottle of blue pills and giving it a shake for emphasis. "What do you say?"

"Fuck yeah," said Morgana, her black lips curling into a smile.

Morgause was frowning slightly. "Will you still be able to… you know, after you've taken those?" she asked, eying Cenred's trousers.

"No need to doubt me, baby."

"Well if last week was any precedent…" Cenred clapped a hand over Morgause's mouth to keep her from continuing while Morgana chuckled.

"Here, start out with three, and then one every hour to keep you up," he said, pouring out the pills into their outstretched hands.

Morgana popped all three into her mouth at once and washed them down with Guinness. She leaned back in her chair, letting the tingling sensation wash over her. She felt all the tension evaporate from her muscles along with the worried clench in her gut. She was free and alive – for a few hours at least.

The football players were all crowded around a booth when Gwen and Elena arrived, but Percy grabbed them a couple of chairs to stick on the end. Gwen greeted Leon, her childhood friend, with a kiss on the cheek but had Elena take the seat next to him. The two of them had been making cow eyes at each other all summer, but both were too shy to make a move so far.

"Have you guys seen Elyan?" asked Gwen.

"He and Mithian were making out in a corner last time I saw," answered Gwaine.

"Ugh, Gwaine, I don't want to know that about my brother."

"My apologies," he said with a grin.

"When's the DJ going to start?" asked Percival.

"Just like five minutes now," said Arthur, already looking quite drunk. For all his peacocking arrogance, their captain could not hold his liquor.

"Do you know who that girl is?" Gwaine asked, pointing toward Morgana.

"Who, the gloomy Goth?" asked Pellinore.

"That's Morgana Lafayette," said Arthur, earning himself a look of surprise from his mates. "My father knows her mother and they come over for meals sometimes," he explained. "I wouldn't, though. She's pretty strange."

Gwen glared at him for the comment. "She's in our chemistry class. She doesn't talk a lot, except to that girl with her, but she's very nice."

"She's hot," agreed Gwaine, nodding sagely.

"That isn't really the same thing."

A fast electronic song began as DJ Crush began to play. Gwaine got up and strutted over to Morgana's table. She was leaning on one hand and her pale eyes had trouble focusing on him for a minute.

"Come dance with me," he said.

"Ask me nicely," she practically snarled at him.

"Please come dance with me," he said.

She got to her feet with a lurch and followed him into the crowd of writhing bodies. She seemed to find her balance as they danced and soon was jumping and shaking her hips with the rest of them. She didn't look at him, but seemed utterly lost in the music.

* * *

The night passed in a blur for Morgana after she took the pills and then existed in her memory as a series of flashes. She remembered being on the dance floor with the footballer, ignoring him at first while she rode the rhythm of the notes. He must not have liked that, though, because the next thing she knew he was dancing closer with his hands on her lower back and his chest pressed against hers. Then she was in the bathroom washing off the black lipstick in the sink. She came out and was pushed up against the wall by some impatient person who kissed her hungrily. At the time she wasn't fully aware that it was even the same person.

The next morning she awoke in her own bed and without a stranger beside her. Her head throbbed and when she looked in the mirror her eye makeup was terribly smeared. It was late, so she just had time to shower and brush her teeth before her first statistics class.

"Professor Gaius?"

"Yes, come in," called the professor from inside his office. An unfamiliar student walked in and sat at the chair opposite him.

"I'm Merlin Emerson. I just transferred to Albion and I was wondering if you still had space in your beginner chemistry class."

"What year are you?" asked Gaius.

"I'm a sophomore, sir."

"Declared a major yet?"

"Yes, biochemistry. At my last school I focused mostly on the biology, so I guess I have some catching up to do in chemistry." The young man had a wide smile and ears that stuck out like an elephant, but there was something pleasantly familiar about him. Gaius couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Well, I think I can squeeze you in."

There was that grin again, like his face was going to split in half.

"Thank you, Professor. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?" said Gaius.

"Eftgemyndge." The boy looked straight at Gaius and for a moment his eyes seemed to flash gold.

Then Gaius jerked backward in his chair, nearly banging his head on the filing cabinet behind him. Agony shot through his brain, lighting the inside of his skull on fire. He felt like his mind was expanding beyond its capacity and tearing from the strain. Images began to whirl through him, students from his classes, except dressed up for some kind of renaissance fair. Dean Pendry sitting on a cold, stone throne and wearing a decadent crown. The pale, dark-haired girl with cruel and crazed eyes, laughing at pain. The football star wielding a sword like an extension of his arm. It stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

"Merlin?" he said hesitantly.

The boy seemed to have tears in his eyes.

"Yes, Gaius. You remember."

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Merlin hugged his oldest friend for a long time in that quiet office. Then he took a few moments simply to stare at the old dear face that he remembered so well, even after all these years. Gaius' white hair was cropped short and his physician's robes had been replaced by a button up shirt and tweed trousers, but he looked just the same.

"But I don't understand, Merlin. Why are we here? Was it a spell? Morgana…"

"No, not a spell exactly. I've been waiting for you all for so long."

Gaius just looked more confused, so Merlin continued.

"After Mordred stabbed Arthur, Kilgharrah flew us to the banks of Avalon. I told you that part, and that Arthur died there, but I didn't tell you what the Great Dragon said to me."

_Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold, Merlin. Arthur is not just a King; he is the Once and Future King. Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again. It has been a privilege to have known you, young warlock. The story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men._

"Arthur is the Once and Future King, so I knew he'd return someday. I waited, keeping an eye on the lake, looking out for Arthur. I didn't know it would be so long, over a thousand years, but he has returned. All of you have. The world must need you again."

"You've been alive this whole time?" asked Gaius, astounded.

"Sort of. I've been in a deep sleep through most of it, waking up every decade or so to check on Avalon. It's been quiet all these years, but then I went last week and I saw the sidhe elder flying across the surface. That's when I knew Arthur was back. It took me a few days to track him down and then I saw you and Gwen, as well."

"But does Arthur remember?"

"No, not a thing. None of them do. Just me and now you."

"Just like old times then," said Gaius with a smile.

Merlin laughed, though it was somewhat bittersweet. "Yes, but we've been given a second chance. I made mistakes last time, serious mistakes that brought on Arthur's doom. I have to do it right this time."

"Merlin, you and Arthur created a golden age in Camelot, a golden age that you and Guinevere were able to maintain throughout my lifetime."

Merlin only nodded.

"So, you know some of them already," he said at last. "They take your classes?"

"Yes, several of them, but it's a new class. I haven't really gotten a chance to-."

"That's fine," interrupted Merlin. "Just tell me what you can."

"Uther is back, as well. He's the dean of the school. His wife, Ygraine, was killed by a drunk driver when Arthur was just a boy. As it is, Uther has a strict no tolerance policy when it comes to substances."

"How history repeats itself," commented Merlin.

"Arthur is the star footballer and captain of the team, as can be expected. All the knights are on the football team, actually, except Lancelot. He's a security guard." Gaius frowned as he realized the trend, then he chuckled unexpectedly. "Do you know what the mascot is?" he asked.

"I think I can guess," said Merlin.

"The knights."

"That's terrible," but Merlin laughed, too.

"I've got Arthur and Percival in the class, but not Gwaine, Leon, or Elyan. Gwen is in there, along with some other familiar faces: Elena, Kara, Mithian, a couple more knights, even Tyr, the stable boy. And…" he paused.

"Morgana," Merlin finished.

"And worse. Morgause, as well. They were sitting side by side and left together."

"What was she like? Morgana, I mean."

"She was quiet. I don't know. She seemed rather studious. Morgause looked bored out her skull, but I think Morgana took more notes than anyone."

"Well, it can't be too late. Not again. I'm going to do it right this time. I'm going to do right by her."

"Better act fast then. I'll make sure you or Gwen are always her lab partners, not Morgause...or Kara, for that matter."

"Thank you, Gaius. I'd better go, start mingling with them and all that."

"Mingling and meddling," said Gaius.

"Of course."

* * *

Morgana sat in her favourite corner of the library, a small alcove beside a mosaic of a white dragon. Her statistics book was open in front her as she tried to finish up the problems before dinner. She was so immersed in the work that she didn't notice that someone was blocking the entry to the alcove until he cleared his throat. She looked up into the face of her suitor from the previous night.

"Well, you don't look too hung-over, all things considered," he said with a grin. "In fact, you look quite well. As much as I'm a fan of the Goth look, the sexy secretary suits you well."

She glanced down at her rather prim outfit.

"E-excuse me," she sputtered out.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked. She didn't answer, so he took the seat next to her. He flipped up her book cover so he could look at the title.

"Statistics, yikes. I was always rubbish at maths."

"I like it," she said blankly, still looking confused as to why he was there.

"I don't think we were properly introduced last night. My friend, Arthur, told me your name is Morgana. I'm Gwaine."

"You're on the football team with him." She looked completely unimpressed when she said it. Most girls fawned over the team, and Gwaine found her ambivalence refreshing, among other things.

"Yeah, I'm a midfielder."

She gave him another blank look.

"I'm in the middle of the field, in between offense and defence."

"I know what a midfielder is. I just don't know why you think I would care."

"I'm sorry. Would you prefer I talk about t-cells or mitochondria," he said teasingly, refusing to let her caustic comments get to him.

"I'm impressed you even know those words."

"I'm full of surprises." Then before she could reply he asked, "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

"I can't. I'm meeting a friend," she said too quickly, the words tripping out of her mouth.

"Shame. Some other time, then. Well, it was delightful to see you again, Morgana." He picked up her hand and kissed it before walking away.

Morgana's mouth fell open at the boldness of Gwaine, but then involuntarily formed a smile. She shook herself and went back to her statistics homework.

* * *

"Are you coming to the game this Saturday?"

Though he lived in one of the school apartments with Leon and Elyan, Arthur often went home for mandatory dinner with his father. It was always the same, with Uther at the head of the table and Arthur on the other end, as far away from each other as possible. The nights were punctured with awkward small talk until they reached the inevitable point in the evening when Uther would lecture Arthur about his performance in school. Still, the food was better than the cafeteria slop and Elyan's rare experimentations with cooking. Tonight it was Mediterranean-style chicken with an orange sauce, prepared by Uther's part-time cook, Alice.

"Yes, I'll be there," replied Uther. For all his distance, he almost never missed his son's games. "How's the new team shaping up so far?"

"Good, good. Coming together well," said Arthur, a little too ardently.

Uther eyed him with suspicious.

"You know, Arthur, even great men cannot reach their full potential without the right leader. As team captain it is your duty to bring them together."

"And I am," he interjected, but Uther held up a hand to stop him.

"I trust you'll make me proud on Saturday."

"Of course, Father."

* * *

Gwen had spent the evening swiping flex cards and brewing coffee at the campus café, Medieval Mocha. Her feet ached from standing in one spot for so long, but at least she was with her favourite co-worker, William. They wore matching uniforms of black polo shirts embroidered with a jousting knight where the typical polo pony would be, along with ugly black baseball caps. Business tended to slow after 8 o'clock when it was early in the semester, and only one student remained, hidden behind a stack of library books. Out of sheer boredom, Gwen swept the perfectly clean floor, while Will flipped through a magazine at the counter.

The sole customer stood to refill her coffee cup, the haughty blonde girl from Gwen chemistry class. She swept across the room like she owned the place and ordered without bothering to make eye contact with Will. She paid and took her drink without a word of thanks.

Gwen joined Will at the cashier.

"What a bitch," he muttered under his breath to her.

"I know. God, I hope I'm not her lab partner. Her best friend seems sweet, though. Morgana. She's always polite to me. It's funny how two people who are so different can still be friends."

Will only shrugged at her.

"Are you going to the first football match this weekend?" she asked.

"Nah, it's not really my thing."

"Really? I would've thought a bunch of fit men running around in shorts would be exactly your thing."

"Haha, but no, not really. Jocks aren't really my type."

"Well, if you change your mind, you can come with me, Elena, and Mithian."

Will stood up a bit taller as a new customer walked in. It was the svelte boy who had borrowed a pan from Gwen the day before. He had an odd name: Merlin.

"Hi, Gwen, right?" he asked with a big grin.

"Yeah, what can I get for you?"

"An application actually. I need a job."

"Oh, sure," she said, pulling one out.

"So, do you like working here?"

"It pays the bills, I suppose. Or the loans."

"Right, well, thank you," he said, taking the application and walking out with a backward glance at Gwen.

"Now, he's more my type," said Will.


	4. Chapter 4

**The italicized lines are taken directly from the show (episode 1x08). Obviously I don't own Merlin. All credit to those lines go to the writers of the show.**

* * *

Chapter Four

"In the science fields it is highly important that you learn to work with different types of people. If you choose to pursue this subject, you want to be open to a variety of research possibilities and not limit yourself to always working with your best friend. As such, throughout the year I will assign random lab partners and lab groups. Today's list is on the whiteboard, so if you would find your partners and head to the lab next door," said Professor Gaius.

The class crowded like cattle around the sheet of paper and located whomever they were working with. There were a few muted groans from the class and one loud scoff from Morgause when she found out she was working with Percy. They shuffled off with the rest of the class to the lab room, leaving behind only Morgana and Gaius.

"Excuse me, Professor? My partner appears to be absent," she said.

"Ah, yes, Merlin. He's a new transfer student. He sent me an email that his textbook had just arrived at the bookstore, so he was going to pick it up. He shouldn't be too long. In the meantime why don't you work with Gwen and Arthur?" He ushered her into the lab before going to stand at the front.

The chemistry lab room was on the fourth floor of the Mercia Centre of the Sciences with large windows looking out on the academic side of campus. To the left, they could see a sparkling glimpse of the edge of Lake Avalon. The room itself had a long counter of supplies beneath the windows and two fume hoods to either side. Most of it was taken up by five long tables, each with four sinks. The class had already begun collecting their 2 litre bottles, bicycle pumps, and other supplies when Morgana came in. Gwen was carefully reading the lab instructions, while Arthur began pumping air through a tire gauge attached to the soda bottle.

"You've forgotten the blast shield," said Gwen.

"What?"

"You need to put the bottle into a bucket just in case it explodes from the pressure," cut in Morgana.

"Right, thanks," said Arthur, giving her an unmistakable go-away look.

"My lab partner isn't here yet. Professor Gaius told me to work with you two for now," she said.

Arthur grudgingly went to get a bucket, but Gwen gave Morgana a friendly smile and invited her to sit down.

"Goggles, too," said Gwen, once Arthur had returned.

"I can't do anything right by you!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"You can't do anything right," muttered Morgana. He just glared at her before putting on his safety goggles.

"Right, let's just get the pressure up to 40 psi," said Gwen, trying to intervene before they really had at each other.

They spent the rest of the short lab in relative silence, speaking only to clarify directions or point out mistakes. They released air slowly from the bottle and measured its mass at different pressures. By the end of the first trial Merlin still hadn't arrived and Gaius was looking more concerned than most professors would at the absence of his student.

Gwen got up to use the loo, leaving Morgana and Arthur to refill the bottle for trial two.

"So, how's your dad?" asked Morgana, trying to keep things light.

"Fine."

Morgana recoiled slightly from the curtness of his answer. Arthur seemed to notice, aware that he might have been overly rude.

"He's been pretty busy lately, preparing for the freshmen orientation week and then the start of school," he said. "What about your mom? I haven't seen her in a long time."

"No, I haven't either really. She was travelling around Spain all summer with her new boyfriend. We talk on the phone sometimes, though. I think she's in Seville right now."

"So what did you do over the summer?"

"I went home with Morgause."

Gwen returned then, saying "Has your lab partner still not showed?"

Morgana shook her head.

"Who is it, anyway?" asked Gwen.

"New stud-"

"Sorry, I'm late!" called a deep voice as a dark-haired young man burst into the room. The whole class looked up at the intruder, who fumbled his textbook nervously from one hand to the other under their gazes. He walked over to Professor Gaius, who whispered something to him and then nodded at Morgana. The oddest expression crossed his face as he approached her, something between guilt and pity, but was gone so quickly that she wondered if she had imagined it. He then fixed his eyes on Arthur with a look of awe.

_Fantastic_, she thought. _Another football groupie._

"Sorry," he said again, with a sheepish smile. He gave a small wave to Gwen, who returned it.

"I didn't know you were going to be in this class," she said happily.

Morgana moved over so Merlin could pull up a stool with them.

"We've already finished our first trial, but you can look at my notes. We're testing how pressure affects mass at a constant temperature and volume," said Morgana. Merlin was still giving her the weirdest looks, as if her couldn't quite believe she was real. She would have thought he was cute if he wasn't acting so giddy around Arthur and so concerned around her. Gwen and Arthur didn't seem to notice, however, so Morgana put it down to reading too much into the situation and got on with the lab.

After class, Morgause motioned impatiently for Morgana to hurry up, but Morgana waved at her to go on.

"Did you want to get our trial one results now?" she asked Merlin.

"Yes, thanks. That'd be great."

She hopped onto the lab table next to him, swinging her feet absentmindedly as she waited for him to copy down the figures.

"So, do you ever go to Avalon Lake?" he asked.

"Sometimes. It's usually to cold to swim in it, which is what Arthur and them like to do, but I prefer to just sit. There's this one spot, kind of high up on a boulder. Not many people know about it, but when I go up there and look down it's the best view in the world. The sun hits the water, so it glows bright blue, like there are fairies under the surface." She stopped, realizing how foolish she must sound, but Merlin was smiling at her. It was a nice smile - his blue eyes crinkled up and he had a dimple in each cheek – yet there was something melancholic beneath it.

"Well, I'll see you Monday, then. Have a good weekend," she said, collecting her notebook. She left the lab room and headed for the coffee shop, ready for a caffeine jolt.

* * *

_"You know, er, for a moment there earlier, I-I thought you were going to hand us over to the guards."_

_"I'm glad you have so much faith in me, Merlin."_

_"No, no, sorry," said Merlin quickly, shutting his eyes as he tried to figure out what to say. "Er, I meant you're the King's ward. You're taking a huge risk helping the boy."_

_"I wouldn't see an innocent child executed," said Morgana, looking down sadly at the injured druid boy hiding in her chambers. "What harm has he ever done anyone?"_

_ "Well, Uther believes he has magic, and that makes him guilty."_

_"Uther's wrong," she said without a pause, her pale eyes hard as ice._

_Merlin looked up, wide-eyed._

_"You believe that?" he asked, barely daring to hope._

_"What if magic isn't something you choose?" She glanced up with her brow furrowed. "What if it chooses you? Why are you looking at me like that?"_

_Merlin shifted his position, saying, "Nothing."_

_"Why are you helping him?" she asked with a faint smile playing on her lips._

_That was the moment he should have told her, the moment when he should have confessed his own magic. She was practically inviting him to do it and he came so close, but something held him back. The deep fear of discovery still made his muscles clench with fear. Acceptant of magic or not, she was Uther's ward. And she was right, he didn't have_ that_ much faith in her._

_He huffed out air from his nose. "It was a spur of the moment decision."_

* * *

"Well?" asked Gaius intently once they were back in his office.

Merlin sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. She's like the old Morgana in some ways, but different. She and Arthur already seem to hate each other."

"They were always argumentative, from the time they were children, and they don't have the connection of living together anymore, sharing a guardian."

Merlin nodded, still looking troubled.

"Did you see the bags under her eyes?" he asked.

"She's having the nightmares," said Gaius. "We can't waste too much time, Merlin."

"I know, but we can't rush into anything either."

"What did you think about Arthur?" Gaius said in an obvious attempt to change the subject. It worked, though, and Merlin flashed his usual grin.

"He's just the same, just like the day I met him: arrogant and superior. I think he needs me, you know. Without my influence he's just an enormous arse," said Merlin, puffing out his chest.

Gaius rolled his eyes. "So, Sir Humility, what are we going to do for now?"

"Just keep pairing Morgana with me, Gwen, and maybe even the knights. Put her with Gwen next. If they can strike up a friendship, it could help get her away from Morgause. And Gwen is good at bringing out the best in people."

"Should we let Gwen know the truth?"

"Not yet," said Merlin quickly. "It might be too confusing for her now. She and Arthur aren't even together yet. And Morgana tortured her to breaking point with the mandrake roots. She might not want to help us if she knew."

"I think you underestimate Gwen's kindness and forgiveness."

"Maybe. I'm going to go to the lake tonight to speak with the sidhe elder. If I find out why they were brought back at this time, it could help us."

They lapsed into silence, two worried old men.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I don't really know anything about music or orchestra, so I hope that section sounds all right. Feel free to offer up any suggestions.**

* * *

Chapter Five

Professor Helen Mora was in charge of all things musical at Albion College: the maestra of the orchestra, the choir director, and the music theory teacher. She lived and breathed music, an admirable trait in a music scholar, except that she expected everyone to share her fervour. Thus she was furious at Gwen for deigning to arrive seven minutes late to orchestra practice.

Gwen had spent the afternoon training Merlin at Medieval Mocha. He was absolutely hopeless at it and somehow managed to break two mugs, but he was so good-natured that she didn't mind. Her Friday shift ended just ten minutes before practice began, but she couldn't leave early on Merlin's first day. She had dashed down all five blocks to Camelot Centre of the Arts with her cello and had entered red-faced and panting from the exertion. Helen snapped at her to take a seat before resuming her chastising of the brass section for being sloppy. She was not a particular tall woman and had a sweet, heart-shaped face, but every member of the orchestra would quail before her temper. The entire brass section averted their eyes ashamedly to the floor, a posture soon mimicked by Gwen. Lancelot turned around to give her a sympathetic smile, which renewed her confidence somewhat. She hoped after practice he would give her another ride, as well.

"Right, let's do the first eight lines of Corigliano's Symphony No. 1," said Helen, taking her place on the stand in front of them. She raised her baton and they began.

* * *

Arthur slouched down on the couch with his flatmates, spending his Friday evening watching TV and resting before the big game. Gwaine and Percival were there, too, sprawled on the floor with a bowl of popcorn between. Mithian was curled up against Elyan, but she was there so often that she practically lived with them. Arthur didn't mind, though, because she did the dishes better than anyone. He thought back to their freshman year, before she and Elyan had started dating, when he had taken her out to dinner. I became apparent in the first ten minutes that it would not work between them, so he had later introduced her to Elyan. He therefore considered himself responsible for all the success of their relationship.

Leon was texting intently next to him, so Arthur snatched his phone away to snoop on the conversation.

"Who's got you so captivated?" he asked, looking at the screen. "Why, Miss Guinevere."

"We grew up together. She's my friend is all. Now give it back."

"Besides," said Elyan. "Do you really think I'd let any of you date my sister? Especially you Gwaine."

Gwaine raised his hands up in mock surrender from the floor. "Well, Gwaine and Gwen would just be too cute."

"I think he prefers Gwaine and Morgana," said Percy.

"Whatever works for you, Gwaine, but she may very well take you to a séance for your first date," said Arthur.

"It's what happens after the séance that I care about."

Elyan and Mithian excused themselves to bed while the others chuckled.

"We should all turn in. Big game tomorrow," said Arthur.

"Of course, captain," agreed Gwaine with a mock salute. He and Percy headed back to their room in Ealdor Hall, leaving Arthur and Leon to clean up the mess of popcorn they had made.

* * *

The ground was spongy beneath Merlin's feet as he headed for the Lake of Avalon. Behind him he could hear the distant whoops and hollers of students enjoying their Friday night, but ahead all was silent. There was a faint breeze gliding through the tree branches with a hushing sound. He could already make out the tower, silhouetted against the starry sky. The half-moon cast everything in a silvery glow and Merlin felt for a moment that he was in a world of black and white. He found himself recalling the last time he had seen the sidhe elder, when Elena had a sidhe inside her. They hadn't exactly left things on good terms. With Kilgharrah's death and Aithusa's disappearance, however, he wasn't left with many options for magical council. He reached the shadowy banks, thinking of Excalibur, safe beneath the surface in the care of the Lady of the Lake.

Merlin held out his hand to summon the sidhe, but stopped when the craggy edge of a boulder caught his eye. He changed his mind and headed along the shore toward it. He could see why Morgana liked its seclusion. It could be seen from across the water, but trying to actually reach the rock was nearly impossible. It was surrounded by thickly grown trees, most of them wound with thorns and poison ivy. He had to enchant his way through several thickets before he emerged at the gently sloping base of the boulder, leading up the point where it jutted over the water. At the top, backlit against the moon, he could make out the seated profile of Morgana.

He announced himself long before he had reached her, but she still flinched and whirled around when she heard him.

"Sorry to startle you," he said, backing up a few steps.

"What are you doing here?" she said fiercely, her face in shadow.

"I just needed a moment to myself and you said this was a secluded spot," he explained.

"It used to be a secluded spot, you mean."

He walked up slowly to her side and sat next to her with his legs hanging off the rock.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

The glare she was giving him subsided and she looked suddenly fragile.

"I haven't slept well in weeks," she said softly.

"Did anything happen? I know when my best friend died it was months before I got a good night's sleep."

"No, it's nothing like that. I just…I've been having bad dreams. It sounds so childish now that I say it."

Merlin shook his head but stayed silent, letting her tell him at her own pace.

"It takes me so long to fall asleep, because I don't want to dream, and then when I do I see the most terrible things. It feels so real," she continued, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her head on them.

"What sort of things?"

"It depends. Sometime it's the people I love dying. Morgause, usually. Sometimes I'm standing over her body with blood on my hands. Or I'm trapped in total darkness with chains on my wrists and I can hear this screaming. It's inhuman and terrible and it breaks my heart to listen to it. I've tried all the sleeping pills, but they don't work and make me feel terrible all day. The only thing that helps really is booze and-" she paused and stared over at Merlin. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all us this," she said, looking surprised at herself.

"It's okay really."

"I don't even know you."

"I suppose this is how you get to know someone. By talking to them." He leaned to the side and nudged her with his shoulder.

Morgana nodded. "I'm sorry about your friend. The one that you said died."

"It happened a long time ago. And it isn't like he's really gone, you know."

"What, you mean like looking down on you from heaven?" Morgana had one eyebrow raised sceptically.

"No, not like that exactly. I just feel like he's still around, like he's closer than one would think."

"That's a nice way to put it."

"Were you just up here looking at the lake?"

"I was reading, actually."

"In the dark?" Merlin said with a laugh.

She switched on a flashlight and waved it in response.

"What were you reading?"

"Herodotus," she said, handing over a thick book.

"The ancient Greek historian?"

"Well, historian in the most flexible sense of the word."

"Bit of light reading, then?"

"So much of my focus is on biology and everything related to it. I like to have a variety to think about, a bit of history and literature here and there."

"What part are you at?"

"Croesus making all his bad decisions."

Merlin lay back on the rock, watching the stars. "Tell me about him."

"He was the king of Lydia, which I have no idea where it is. Anyway, he kept going to an oracle for advice, but he misinterpreted her prophecies and ended up bringing about these horrid things, like the death of his son and the fall of his kingdom to Persia. It's like Oedipus. Trying to prevent a prediction from happening was actually what caused it to happen. It's all a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Merlin was thankful for the dark, because his eyes were beginning to burn with tears. Images of Mordred stabbing Arthur rushed through his roiling brain and he felt as if the mistakes he had made were writhing within him, eating him from the inside out. Morgana noticed his silence, so he quickly steeled himself and made a joke about her being versed in psychology, as well.

She lay down beside him, using Herodotus as a pillow.

"Thank you, Merlin. You're a really good listener."

He shut his eyes as the tears began to run freely down his face.

* * *

"Did you get the sidhe's council last night?" asked Gaius.

"Fuck the sidhe. We're making our own fate this time," stated Merlin, striding past him.

* * *

**Sorry, no talks with the sidhe just yet (it will happen eventually). I always hated in the show how much value Merlin put to Kilgarrah's advice, even when it was really terrible. So he's making his own destiny this time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took so long to update!**

**I had to throw in my ode to ****_The IT Crowd_**** with Will's reaction to the football game.**

**Also, as part of Morgana's downward spiral, I wrote her exhibiting some rather reckless behaviors involving alcohol and other substances. If you do drink or do other things, please use common sense and caution. Don't be like Morgana.**

* * *

Gwen was beginning to feel genuinely concerned about Merlin's level of agitation at the football game. He sat so rigidly that it looked like he had an iron rod up his arse, but every few seconds he would glance back at Professor Gaius, who was sitting next to Dean Pendry high up in the stands.

"I didn't realize you were such a football fan," she said.

"What?" Merlin said, realizing his rather conspicuous behaviour. "Oh, right yes. I love it."

"I still can't believe you dragged me along to this," muttered Will from Gwen's other side. "Oh look, Arthur has the ball. I wonder if he'll kick it. He has. What a shocking turn of events," he said sarcastically.

"He plays well, doesn't he?" said Merlin.

"So beautifully," Gwen said breathlessly.

Merlin looked baffled at her answer until he noticed that her gaze was not on Arthur, but on the handsome security guard leaning against the rail.

"Who's that?" asked Will.

"Er, his name is Lancelot. He's in orchestra with me."

"Not bad, Gwen. You should ask to play with his handcuffs some time."

She slapped Will on the shoulder for that. Merlin glanced back at Gaius again then spun back around so fast she thought he would get whiplash. She was about to ask him about it when Arthur head-butted a well-placed kick from Gwaine into the other team's net. The crowd rose to their feet with a collective cheer at the first goal of the year. Arthur held out his arms like an airplane and ran into a group hug with Ewan and Mordred. They all slapped each on the back later to maintain their manliness.

The game was really no competition at all after that. The visitors managed to get one ball past Percy early in the second half, but the knights had a sweeping three goals at the time, and scored another two for good measure. With five minutes left they simply passed the ball back and forth, waiting for the clock to run out. Uther was beaming by the time the final whistle blew.

"Let's go down and meet them," said Mithian, sitting with Elena in the row in front of them. Gwen looked somewhat longingly at Lancelot, so Merlin grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Yes, let's do that. Let's go congratulate the team."

"What, Merlin!" exclaimed Gwen.

"We have to show our school spirit, Gwen," he said lamely. She looked cross, but nevertheless followed the others out of the stands toward the locker rooms.

When they got down by the field, Elyan broke off from the team to run and give Mithian a sweaty hug.

"Hey, sis. Thanks for coming," he said to Gwen.

"It was fun. You played really well today."

"Yeah, the new team looks good."

"And I'm sure Arthur is a good captain," cut in Merlin.

Before Elyan could agree, Arthur, himself, walked up with Leon. Both of them had wet hair and red faces, dripping with sweat.

"Hey, Gwen. We're having a party tonight at our flat. I know we told Mithian, but if you, Elena, and your friends" -he gestured to Will and Merlin- "want to come, you're all welcome."

Merlin could have jumped for joy. "Thanks! She'd love to go," he said, a little to eagerly.

"My pushy friend is right. I'll see you there," she said. She was about to exchange a few choice words with Merlin, but he was smiling so brightly that she couldn't bring herself to do so. His smile fell, however, as he watching Mordred crossing the field, but Gwen had already turned back to talk to Elyan and didn't notice.

* * *

Morgana threw back another shot of cheap vodka before lying down for an attempt at an afternoon nap. The liquid burned on its way down, but as soon as it hit her stomach, a delightful warmth spread through her limbs. Her mind tingled and relaxed as she burrowed deeper under the covers. Loose disconnected images swam through her woozy mind, and she felt sleep overtake her.

_She is dragging something heavy down a long stone corridor. The walls are carved decadently and sunlight streams in through the gothic style windows. She looks down at the thing she is pulling and sees a man, whose face she can't quite make out. There is someone beside her, as well, but she can't bring herself to turn and look at him. She knows she should, but she's terrified of doing so for some reason._

_She hears a ragged breathing coming down the hallway and sees a dark knight striding toward them. His face is masked in metal and she is unsure if there is anything human underneath. She and her unknown companion pull harder at their burden, but she trips on her dress and falls to the floor. _

_The knight advances on her and she screams her companion's name, but forgets its sound as soon as it has left her lips. The body of the dragged man slows to a stop at the edge of her vision as her companion slows to a stop. The knight keeps heading straight for her and her companion takes off again. Overcoming her fear, she whips her head around to scream "Please!"_

_Her companion has no face. Smooth white skin covers the front of his head, as if something had sucked the features right off of him. The no-face runs away with the dragged man and the knight raises his sword above his head. Morgana presses herself into the wall with her eyes shut tightly, shrieking as she waits for the blow to land._

A rapping at the door made Morgana bolt upright in bed, panting and crying softly from the dream. It took another knock for her to realize that there was actually someone at the door, and not just in her dream. She got up and wiped off her face with a washcloth before answering it.

Gwaine greeted her with his usual cocky smile, a pair of headphones around his neck.

"You weren't at the game today," he said.

"No, I wasn't feeling well."

She did look ill. Her skin was pasty and shiny with sweat and she had deep bags under her bloodshot eyes.

"Do you want me to bring you some soup? I owe you a dinner after all," he said.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need some rest."

"Who needs sleep? Laughter is the best medicine, after all, and I have just the thing." He rocked up on the balls of his feet, looking immensely pleased with himself.

She thought about just shutting the door in his face, but he looked so keen to be around her. Despite being a rather beautiful young lady, Morgana did not get this kind of attention from boys often. She kept herself distant enough to deter most people.

"Ok, I'll bite. What is it?"

"Mel Brooks' _History of the World: Part 1_ and something else, but you have to invite me in first."

She stood to the side, letting him stroll in and plop down comfortably on her bed. He picked up a red lacy bra that she had left strewn on her desk and raised his eyebrows at her until she snatched it away from him.

"What's the second thing?" she asked.

"Close your eyes."

She did so, half expecting him to kiss her again.

"Now open."

Gwaine had on a bright red clown nose and was posing like superman with hands on his hips. She laughed despite herself.

"See, I'm healing you already."

"Where did you get that?" she asked, still giggling.

"A party awhile ago. It's been in my bag for weeks. Want to watch the movie now?" He patted the bed next to him and took out a laptop from his book bag. When she had hopped up next to him, he put an arm around her. Morgana felt completely out of her depth, but she forced herself to relax and enjoy the experience.

"Are we going to have time for _History of the World: Part 2_?"

Gwaine looked down at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. At her offended expression he kissed her on the top of her head.

"There's just part one. We'll have to get you better versed in the genius of Mel Brooks."

Morgana just shook her head, but then laid it on Gwaine's shoulder, all memory of the nightmare forgotten.

* * *

**So, with the way the story is going the rating may have to go up soon. Would you guys prefer it if I wrote the M rated material in a separate story with just a brief recap here or just up the rating and keep everything together?**

**Please read and respond.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So there is some drinking in this chapter, all of it over age. Just a short disclaimer to please be careful if you do drink. Act responsibly and NEVER drink and drive.**

* * *

"Where the hell is Gwaine?" barked Arthur. "He was supposed to bring crisps."

"I haven't heard from him, but honestly, Arthur, as long as there's plenty of booze, no will care about the lack of crisps," said Leon.

"He just texted me and said he isn't coming," Percy said, walking into the apartment kitchen. Already the living room was full of students, despite trying to keep it a relatively small gathering. Arthur was obviously stressed. If his father found out he'd thrown _that _kind of party…he didn't want to think about the consequences.

"I don't even know half the people out there," he said. "Like him, does he even go here?" Arthur gestured at Cenred. "Ah, and there's Vivian. Excellent."

Leon put his hands on Arthur's shoulders. "Calm down, man. It's going to be fun. Let Elyan and me worry about the flat. Go have a drink and talk to some pretty girls…who aren't Vivian." He put a bottle of tequila in Arthur's hand and pushed him roughly out of the kitchen. Arthur walked over to where Elyan, Mithian, and Gwen were standing together.

"Oh, captain, my captain!" exclaimed Elyan upon seeing him.

"He's already had four shots," was Mithian's explanation.

"How'd the tennis match go this morning?" he asked her politely.

"The school didn't do so well as a whole, but I won mine."

"Congrats. And how're you, Gwen? …Gwen?

Gwen had been straining her neck as if searching for someone in the crowd of people but snapped her head back to face Arthur.

"Yeah, good. Thanks."

"Are you looking for someone?"

"No!" she said quickly. "I mean yes. Just waiting for, er, Merlin to get here."

"Are you two an item now?" asked Mithian. "I thought you were into that security guard." Both Arthur and Elyan raised their eyebrows.

"Me and Merlin? God, no. We're just friends. Same with the security guard, Lancelot, I mean. Just friends. Merlin is, er, quite fun at parties, though," she finished lamely.

"Merlin?" Arthur sounded baffled. "The awkward, gangly kid? If you say so."

Gwen threw him an exasperated glance, but Arthur didn't notice.

"Well, what do you all say to some tequila shots? We've got salt and limes in the fridge." Arthur waggled the bottle of tequila enticingly.

"Why not?" said Gwen.

"Lead the way, Capitan!" Elyan bellowed.

"Fine, but this is your last one, Elyan," said Mithian as they followed Arthur back into the kitchen. Each of them sprinkled salt onto their hands between the thumb and forefinger while Arthur chopped a lime into four pieces and Mithian poured out their drinks. Together they licked off the salt, threw back a shot, and bit into the lime slice.

"Let's get some music playing. It's time for this party to start!" Arthur shouted.

* * *

_She was in the darkness, but not alone. There was a body next to hers, though not, she thought, a human body. It reached out to her, rubbing it's smooth scaly head against her chained hands, and mewed like a troubled kitten, a noise that echoed hollowly around them. It sounding like she was in the bottom of a well or something. She felt the creature tense and try to stretch, pressing against her in the process. It was held in tightly by the stone walls, and so began to huff in frustration. Then it began to scream, an agonizing shriek that bounced up the walls of the pit and reverberated back down to them. It was a sound that ripped its way through her chest and settled in her angry heart._

Morgana twitched into awareness, no longer feeling hard rock beneath her, but the softness of a bed. There was something warm beneath, steadily rising and falling. She opened her eyes slowly to see Gwaine slumped on her bed beside her with his laptop shoved haphazardly to the edge of the bed. He slept peacefully, much more so than her, but, then again, everyone slept more peacefully than her. She felt both envious and content at the sight of it. Still, she shook him awake gently.

"What is it?" he mumbled with his eyes still shut.

"Gwaine, it's two in the morning."

He opened one eye. "And I should go home?" he asked reluctantly.

She nodded.

"Alright, my Lady Aloof. But I hope this night made you feel a little bit better," he said, packing up his stuff.

"It did, actually. Maybe we could, you know, do it again sometime…"

Gwaine took her face tenderly in his hands and gave her a soft kiss. He began to pull away, but she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him in for a more passionate one. When they finally did part he was grinning like an idiot and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Good night, then. I'll see you soon," he said.

* * *

"It's so simple, Gwen. Here let me show you." Arthur took the spoon from her and rubbed it fiercely on his nose. He took his hands away, leaving it stuck to his face.

"You are truly talented."

Arthur seemed oblivious to the playful sarcasm in her voice and looked quite proud of himself. He would have appeared quite regal, in fact, if he didn't have a spoon on his nose and a tie around his head.

"Here, have anovver go," he slurred out.

She took the spoon and rubbed it once more on her nose. This time it stuck.

"I did it!" she squealed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Huzzah!" Arthur beamed at her until suddenly the smile dropped off his face.

"Arthur, what is it?"

"I may need to take a tactical chunder," he said slowly.

"Right, I'll get you to the loo." She grabbed him under his arms and helped heave him off the floor. Luckily Arthur's room had its own bathroom attached, so they didn't have to worry about any other partygoers getting in the way. Gwen sat him down in front of the toilet and patted his soft blonde hair. At least it wasn't long enough to get in the way.

"Thanks, Gwen. Erm, if you could give me a moment, please."

"Oh, right!" she said. "I'll just be out here if you need me."

* * *

Merlin arrived to find only the dregs of the party remaining. Plastic cups and empty glass bottles littered the floor, as did several unconscious undergrads. Percival was sprawled on the couch snoring peacefully with his feet on the coffee table. Next to him lay Will with a bit of drool trailing from the corner of his mouth. Leon and Elena were still awake and rather sober-looking, whispering to each other in a corner. Elena recognized him from class and waved, then returned to her conversation. Merlin carefully stepped over the strewn bodies. Catching sight of Mordred passed out on the floor, he had a sudden urge to kick him, but resisted nonetheless. He made his way to hallway and peered into one cracked doorway. He could just make out the tops of Elyan's and Mithian's heads above their blankets. Continuing on he checked another room, finding it empty.

_Leon's,_ he thought.

Finally at the third room he found Arthur. The prince who was no longer a prince was lying on his stomach, still dressed and smelling of tequila. Next to him was Gwen, wearing a rumpled green party dress and shivering slightly. Merlin grabbed the comforter from the foot of the bed and covered them with it. As he did so, Arthur cracked open an eye and tilted his head to get a better look at him.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" he asked groggily.

"You're dreaming. Go back to sleep."

"But…okay." Arthur's head flopped back down onto the pillow. Merlin made his way out of the room and back to the living room, inspecting the sleepers once more before checking the kitchen and even the lavatory. There was no sign of Morgana.

_But at least Arthur and Gwen are heading in the right direction_, he thought.

* * *

**Please read and respond.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Arthur Pendry, you utter skeeze!" Gwen shouted.

Arthur jolted awake with a thrash that threw him off the bed.

"Wait, what? Slow down, Gwen."

"You let me spend the night here drunk! It wouldn't have killed you to walk me home or at least find me my own bed to sleep in. I guess chivalry_ is_ dead."

Elyan and Leon burst into the room at the sounds of her yells.

"Christ, Gwen. I thought someone was killing you," said Leon with a sigh. Elyan, however, appeared far more affected by the sight of his little sister in his friend's bedroom.

"Dude, it's not what you think," said Arthur, still on the floor.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Gwen, stomping out of the room.

Elyan was still wide-eyed, but his astonishment was beginning to look more and more like anger.

"I feel like I should hit you," he said.

Arthur got to his feet and stood before Elyan with his hands on his hips.

"You do what you've got to do."

"You're a good man, Arthur," Elyan said before socking him in the eye.

* * *

"That was a great party you missed," said Percy.

"Oh, I'm sure the night I had more than made up for it," countered Gwaine.

"Really? I'm intrigued."

Gwaine kicked off his sneakers and pulled his shirt over his head before plunging into the cool waters of Lake Avalon.

"Woah! That is brisk. Your turn."

Percy, too, stripped down and dipped his foot into the lake.

"C'mon, princess, just jump in," taunted Gwaine, treading water.

With a woop, Percy leapt out and caused a tidal wave that splashed over Gwaine. One of the rare warm autumn days was gracing Albion College with its presence, so many students had decided to make the most of it by going down to the lake. The balmy weather had done little to warm the lake, however, so Percy and Gwaine remained the only ones brave enough to swim.

"So, what was so special about your night that made up for missing the best party of the year?" asked Percy.

"You know, I don't think you can call it the best party of the year, what with it only being the second week."

"Don't change the subject."

"I spent the night with Morgana." Gwaine grinned like a kid who'd successfully swiped a cookie from the jar.

"Spent the night. Like _spent _the night."

"No, we just watched a movie. It was nice, though. I like her."

"Do you now? Gonna ask her to go steady, then?

Gwaine splashed Percy, who was laughing so hard he choked on it. Gwaine had to thump on the back a few times before he was all right.

"Hey, why don't we ever go out to the island?" asked Gwaine without warning.

"Gives me the creeps," said Percy, his voice still a bit strained from choking.

"Come on. I'll race you out there." Before Percy could reply Gwaine dove under the water and started swimming toward the spire.

Percy sighed, still reluctant. His competitive side soon kicked in, though, and he took off after Gwaine. They paddled fiercely and reached the bank in a matter of minutes. Unlike the pebbled slope of the edge of the lake, the island bank was made of soft silt covered in moss and grass. Their feet sank deep into the soil as they climbed out of the water and onto the shore. Percy felt a chill run down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Gwaine, on the other hand, marched confidently up to the looming tower. Percy didn't follow this time.

"You should come see this, man. It's pretty coo-" Gwaine cut off as his hand touched the tower's side and he collapsed on the ground.

"Gwaine!" Percy yelled, barreling over to him. Gwaine was convulsing violently, his eyes rolling back in his head, so that only the whites were visible. He shuddered several more times, then fell still, his eyes shut.

"No, Gwaine. No!" Percy screamed hysterically.

Gwaine's eyes flew open and he let out a long groan.

"Stop shouting," he mumbled.

Percy grabbed him and pulled him into a bear hug.

"Don't do that to me, you son of a bitch."

Gwaine sat up straighter then, holding Percy at arm's length and looking at him like he was seeing him for the first time.

"Percy, I need you to touch the tower."

"What? No! Not after what just happened to you. It's cursed or something."

"Percival," said Gwaine sharply, " if you have any friendship at all for me, you'll touch the tower."

Percy looked at the dead serious expression on Gwaine's face. He was half-expecting it to all be prank and that Gwaine would burst out laughing when Percy touched the spire and nothing happened. He tentatively reached out a hand and brushed the stone lightly with his fingertips.

Instantly he felt himself thrown to the ground with his body seizing. He felt as though someone was hammering a white-hot nail into his skull and he thrashed from the agony of it. When at last the shockwaves of pain subsided, he heard a voice call out in his mind, "Arise, Sir Percival, knight of the Camelot!"

* * *

"The inquisition what a show! The inquisition here we go. We know you're wishin' that we'd go away! But the Spanish Inquisition's here and it's here to sta-ay!" Morgana sang out. Ever since they'd watched _History of the World: Part 1_ she'd had that stupid song stuck in her head. But she had to admit that it made a great shower tune.

"Hey, Torquemada, What do you say? I just got back from the auto-da-fe. Auto-da-fe, what's the auto-da-fe? It's what you oughtn't to do but you do anyway."

"You're feeling chipper this morning," drawled a voice.

Morgana jumped and dropped the shampoo bottle that she was using as a microphone.

"Morgause, h-how did you know I was here?"

"You weren't in your room. Where else would you be on a Sunday? The library, I guess. I was going to check there next."

"Erm, so what's up?"

"Hurry up, get dressed, and meet me outside. Cenred is taking us out to lunch with that friend of his from the hospital."

Morgana sighed, but agreed. She hated it when Morgause and Cenred tried to hook her up with friends of his. But she wasn't ready to admit that Gwaine was part of the reason she couldn't date other people. She knew Morgause wouldn't approve and she still wasn't entirely sure what was happening with Gwaine.

"Right, I'll be down in like fifteen minutes."

* * *

Gwaine and Percival spent a good amount of time staring at each with their mouths flopped open.

"How much do you remember?" asked Percival at last.

"Everything: my drunken wanders, my time as a knight, my d-death," answered Gwaine shakily.

"Arthur was our king. And Gwen and Merlin. They're all here."

"What happened? You know, after I died?"

Percy sighed. "Arthur didn't make it. Merlin couldn't save him. I went back to Camelot with him and Gwen was crowned queen. She had good, long reign, but didn't have any heirs. She outlived me, though, so I don't know who was her successor. Merlin was always there by her side."

"Percy, I think we're the only ones who know. That means it's our duty to protect Arthur and Gwen, at least until we can get them to the tower to remember for themselves."

"He's surrounded by enemies. Think about it. Mordred is on the football team with us. The chemistry class I have with him alone has Kara, Morgause, and…"

"Morgana." Gwaine hissed out the word like it was made of venom.

Percy's face, normally so sweet natured, was dark and vengeful. "Gwaine, I don't think I've ever hated anyone so much. She enslaved us. She murdered you!"

"We'll have to deal with them all, but her first."

"What do you mean? Kill them?" asked Percival.

"No. This world is different from Camelot. But we have to remove them as a threat and there are other ways to destroy people other than death. They may not remember who they are. That gives us the advantage. We can take them one at a time."

"So, starting with Morgana. What are we going to do?"

"Uther doesn't tolerate the abuse of alcohol or any use of drugs at his school. Our Morgana has an inclination for both, so we're going to get her expelled."

Gwaine stood and walked to the water's edge. He cupped handfuls of the clear liquid into his mouth before spitting it out, trying to get rid of all traces of the kiss he'd had with Morgana.

* * *

"I've had some progress with Uther, how has it been going on your end?" asked Gaius.

"Good," replied Merlin. "Really good so far. Gwen and Arthur are getting friendly. Morgana likes me and, you know, I think her and Gwaine may have a bit of a thing. The knights follow Arthur really well. I think everything is really going according to plan."

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

"I expected better of you, Arthur!" Uther fumed at his son.

The normally confident football star sat with his shoulders slumped and his eyes fixed determinedly on his feet.

"A flat party. It's only the second week of school. How could you be so foolish?"

"It was just a small get-together to celebrate the game…A few more people showed up than we expected, but we kept it under control."

"That's not how Aredian tells it. He says he could hear the music blasting from 20 metres away. Were you drinking?"

"Everyone there was over 18, Father."

"No, were _you _drinking?"

"I may have had a glass or two. I didn't drive, though. I didn't leave the party!"

"Alcohol is unfortunately legal, but if I catch you abusing it ever again…" he said menacingly.

"You won't. I'm sorry, Father."

"And how did you get that black eye?"

"At the game yesterday," Arthur lied. "One of the other lads kicked me instead of the ball. Nothing serious."

Uther's expression mellowed slightly. "Don't you have homework you should be doing?"

* * *

Guinevere dropped the cup of coffee she was preparing when Lancelot entered the café, spilling hot liquid and foam all over the counter. The customer jumped back to avoid getting any on himself.

"I'm so sorry. I'll make you another," she said, flustered.

Lancelot was looking mildly concerned, as was Will, but she waved them off with an embarrassed shake of her head. She got the second cup made and customer moved off, so Lancelot could order.

"Hi, Gwen. How's everything?"

"Fine, thanks, other than me being so clumsy. You weren't at practice this morning."

"No, I made a mistake on a lost and found report, I'm afraid. Aredian made me pull an extra shift."

"Tyrant," growled Gwen.

"Helen was livid, of course. In fact, I would like to see her and Aredian go head to head."

"They'd kill each other."

"Did I miss anything important at practice?"

"Not really. Tyr slipped when he was pushing one of the timpani drums and it rolled all the way down the stairs. No damage done, miraculously."

Will took that moment to clear his throat loudly, so Gwen and Lancelot would notice the line forming behind him.

"Sorry, I'm holding everyone up. I'll take a medium black coffee," said Lancelot.

"Sure thing."

She prepared his cup with no further mishaps, but it didn't help that Will was waggling his eyebrows at her the entire time.

* * *

Merlin nearly tripped down the stairs when he got Morgana's text. At first he thought he had misread it – he wasn't very good with the new-fangled devices like cell phones, having slept through their invention, though Gaius was helping him catch up. He re-read the message for a third time.

[_Will you come to lunch with me, Morgause, and some of her friends? They're trying to set me up with someone, so can you pretend to be my boyfriend?]_

Just the thought of a romance, even a make-believe romance, made him feel twitchy and awkward. And with Morgana of all people. Yes, she was pretty, he supposed, radiant even, back when she wasn't a psychotic megalomaniac. They had tried to kill each other for years before Merlin finally succeeded. Just because he wanted things to turn out differently this time didn't mean he wanted to…even just pretend.

_[What about Gwaine?] _he answered back, staying noncommittal.

_[Word sure travels fast at this school… I don't even know what Gwaine is to me and I don't really want him and Morgause to meet just yet, so please help me out. x]_

_[Alright, where should I meet you?]_

Five minutes later Merlin was shaking Morgause's hand, smiling the fakest smile of his life in response to her sneer. He was rather insulted by her expression, which seemed to say "seriously, this guy?" Still, lunch would give him a chance to observe Morgana and Morgause together, perhaps even to begin undermining Morgause's hold on the younger woman.

A black muscle car pulled up beside the residential quad, rumbling like a motorboat. It was being driven by a handsome man with long, black hair and stubble: Cenred. He was decked out in leather, as always, though he now had a lip piercing, too. Merlin remembered how Morgause had used the man – the king – and then killed him without a second thought. He briefly consider adding "save Cenred" to his to-do list, but when Cenred greeted him as "Who is this prat?" he decided against it.

"Cenred, this is my boyfriend, Merlin," said Morgana, pushing Merlin into the car before he could back out of their arrangement.

Cenred scoffed and looked to Morgause to verify, but she just rolled her eyes and slid into the front seat next to him. Merlin flashed another painfully forced grin and mumbled that it was nice to meet him. Cenred tore away from the curb in response. He drove like a maniac, weaving through the traffic at breakneck speeds and cutting people off dangerously close. They would honk and flip him off, but Cenred took no notice. Merlin thought how much he missed horses as the car swerved around a corner with a loud screech of the tires. He forgot his near immortality for a moment and grabbed Morgana's hand from the fear of it. He was about to yank it back, not wanting to offend her, but Morgana bounced his hand up and down reassuringly before smoothly letting go.

There was definitely something different about this Morgana. When he had first met her, back in Camelot, she had been a sweet and passionately ethical girl, but always there was an undertone of fear. Even then, she knew deep within her that she had to hide her true self or face terrible consequences. She had been so guarded all of the time, yet desperate to show herself to someone. She had tried with Merlin, but he had shut her out. Merlin still recognized that scared, walled-off person in the classrooms and in the presence of strangers, but already she was sharing a bit of herself when they were alone together. She could be more relaxed around him – and regrettably, but undeniably around Morgause, as well. It was nice to see, behind the tired eyes and worried frowns, that there was something kind and playful beneath.

Morgana seemed to realize Merlin examining her, so he quickly turned away to look out of the window for rest of the drive.

* * *

"I can't believe they tried to set you with that guy," laughed Merlin as he walked Morgana back to her dorm. They had ended up staying in town all afternoon and had returned to campus late in the evening.

"He wasn't that bad. A little too confident maybe."

"He was the worst," urged Merlin. Then, feeling a bit petty, he added, "and what kind of name is Alvarr?"

"What kind of name is Merlin?" teased Morgana, giving him a poke in the ribs. "Well, either way I'm not interested."

"Right, because you've got Gwaine."

"Right." They paused outside of Morgana's dormitory.

"I'd better get back to Longstrong, then," said Merlin, pointing to his own residence hall. "See you in class tomorrow."

"Night, Merlin."

Morgana continued up to her room, but hadn't been there for two minutes when there was a knock on her door. She had been in the midst of undressing and quickly threw on a tank top before answering it.

"Gwaine, I didn't expect to see you tonight," she said happily. Her face fell when she saw his rather grim expression. The way he was looking at her was unsettling; his dark eyes, usually so soft, were burning into her like coal. She involuntarily took a step back from him. "Gwaine, what's wrong," she said with a note of fear in her voice.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She opened the door a little wider for him and he strode angrily into the room, going all the way to the window before turning and marching right up to her. Without the heels she had worn in the nightclub he stood almost a full head taller than she did. He smelled nice, she noticed, and not as fake as some young men she had known, and his shiny hair was mussed and slightly damp, like he had just gotten out of the shower. She found herself leaning toward him with the same kind of draw you feel when a train passes right beside and its speed pulls you into it. He was still breathing heavily and staring her down with those fiery eyes.

At last, Gwaine grabbed her hips and pushed her into the wall. Holding her in place, he kissed her roughly, without the ease and care he had taken the last time they had seen each other. His stubble scratched at the soft skin of her cheeks as he bit at her lips and shoved his tongue into her mouth. He wound his hand into her hair and gripped it so tight that she almost cried out. Then, just as she was about to stop the kiss, it turned suddenly gentle. Gwaine's hand was no longer pulling her hair but stroking it, while his other traced up and down the side of her waist. He soothed her lips with soft pecks and nuzzled her nose with his own, all the while keeping her pressed against the wall.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

**In which things begin to go very, very wrong. **

* * *

Morgana couldn't sleep after Gwaine left, although she tried her usual self-prescribed therapy of vodka shots. She lay heavy in her bed, unable to find a comfortable position, her body as active as her agitated mind. The emotions seemed to bubble deep in her gut, threatening to wrench clear out of her stomach, ripping her open and leaving her bloody. She felt angrier than she had ever felt and deeply ashamed, which only led to more anger. She told herself that she had done nothing wrong, that the blame was all on him.

The clothes had gone quickly, but the rest had been rather gentle. It had actually been one of her better experiences, right up until the end. As soon as Gwaine was finished, he had gotten up, gotten dressed, and left with hardly a word of explanation. But Morgana understood well enough.

She felt so stupid. She didn't know how she would face Gwaine in the next few days. She wanted to slap him, shout at him, but most of all, she just wanted him and all memories of the night to disappear.

When it became apparent that sleep would not come, Morgana heaved her drained body from the bed, took a 3 am shower, and spent the remaining hours watching sitcoms to cheer herself up. At least he wasn't in any of her Monday classes.

* * *

Gwaine played with a uncharacteristic fury at the morning practice, slamming the football with great force, but little precision. He seemed far away and reckless, swinging out his foot with little abandon of whether he connected with the ball or the leg of a player. He kicked Mordred so hard in the ankle that the boy fell in a heap and couldn't get up without Arthur and Elyan's helped.

"Gwaine!" shouted Coach Tristan, "take five."

"I'm fine, Coach," he huffed back.

"You've kicked three of your teammates in the last fifteen minutes. Now take five and cool off," ordered Tristan, striding onto the field.

Before Gwaine could retort, Percy grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him over to the benches.

"What's wrong?" asked Percy.

"I just don't like playing like this."

"What do you mean? You'd rather be swinging swords than kicking footballs?"

"No, I mean protecting Arthur like this. It was more straightforward back then, when we could just throw someone in the dungeon if we suspected them. Now we've got to lie and deceive to remove his enemies."

"Well, Gwaine, it was your idea to do it like this."

"I know. It's just…I slept with Morgana last night."

Percy was silent, his expression unreadable.

"I wasn't exactly nice to her."

Still Percy said nothing.

"I believe the dictionary defines what I did as 'hit it and quit it.'"

Then Percy laughed. "You've always enjoyed your time with the ladies and, if I remember correctly, there were plenty of them who woke up in an empty bed."

"That was before I became a knight... and only a few times after."

"But it's Morgana. _Morgana._ Don't tell me you're feeling sorry for her. You remember how she tortured you, made you fight like a dog for food."

"You're right, I know. Let's just get rid of her, then we can move on to Morgause and Mordred."

"So we'll continue encouraging Morgana's downward spiral and this weekend we'll tip off Aredian to her habits. "

"And somehow, we've got to get Leon and Elyan to that island, so they can help us."

"You ready to get back out there?"

"After you," said Gwaine with a mock bow, before following Percy back onto the football field.

* * *

French had never been Morgana's best subject, though, as with all her classes, she worked at it harder than almost anyone. It just didn't come easily to her the way the sciences did. She had spent days writing her French paper, editing and re-editing it, only to have it butchered by Professor de Bois. He had handed the essays back to the students at the beginning of the class, leaving Morgana to spend the hour staring in shock at the red C-, rather than paying attention. When de Bois asked her yet another question she couldn't answer, he asked her to stay after class.

In her haze over the injustice of the past few days, Morgana complied, not finding the request odd. She didn't realize how out of character it was for university, which usually left it up to the students whether they sank or swam, and especially for a professor who had never taken much of an interest in her. It just seemed in harmony with everything else going wrong in her life that she would receive a scolding from her least favourite professor.

"Morgana, I know it's early in the year, but you are not off to a good start. You seem to have forgotten a great deal of French over the summer, rather than built on it. Your essay exhibited childlike sentence structures, basic grammatical errors, and a narrow vocabulary. Now, I don't see you succeeding in this class if something isn't done."

"I didn't have as much time to practice French over the summer as I would have liked, but I'll try harder, Professor de Bois," she said, her voice coming out higher pitched than she would have liked.

"Agravaine, please," he said cordially. It took her a moment to realize he was telling her his first name.

"Agravaine, if there is any extra credit I can do," she continued.

"Oh, I'm sure we can come up with some sort of arrangement," he said, reaching out a hand to stroke her side gently. She flinched and smacked his hand away, taking a step back.

"What are you saying?" Her voice had lost all of its previous shrill pleading tone.

He took a step forward to close the space between them.

"I'm saying that if I do not see an increase of _effort_ on your part, I will fail you. And I'm sure any respectable medical school would not wish to take on a student with an F, even one in French. Think about it."

Without another word Morgana turned on her heel and marched out of the room, shaking with rage and disgust. She half ran all the way to the registrar's office to drop her French class and exchange it for one on Medieval Europe with the kindly Professor Annis. She had wanted to learn French so that one day she could do Doctors Without Borders in one of the Francophone countries of Africa, but she did not need it that bad. She could take online or summer classes, anything but spend another second with Agravaine de Bois.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone buzzed, but it was only Merlin inviting her to lunch with him and Gwen. She politely declined, hardly able to punch in the words with her trembling fingers. Then she sent a message of her own to Morgause:

[_I can't wait until the weekend. I need to go out tonight!_]

It took a few moments of tense expectation for the reply to come.

[_Manic Monday it is, and Cen says he has a surprise for us. Pick you up at 9. xx]_

She had over an hour before her next class and spent the time sitting on a bench, looking at nothing and feeling numb and tired. She was only startled from her trance once when a couple stopped to ask if she was all right. She recognized them both from Chemistry, two sweet-faced first years, Kara and Mordred. She smiled and gave them some bullshit reply and they walked off holding hands. It cheered her slightly, a reminder that there were some decent people amongst the arseholes.

* * *

Merlin and Gaius met for their post-Chemistry afternoon tea and planning session with renewed worry. Arthur and Gwen had worked happily together over the period, but that was the only thing that had gone right. Morgana, working with Merlin, had been like a zombie all period, unresponsive and uninterested in the lab. She had let Merlin do nearly all the work, not even noticing when he made obvious and purposeful mistakes. When he asked her about it she brushed him off, saying she was just tired. To make matters worse, the only time she did brighten was to flash a smile and wave at Mordred. Then there was Percival, acting bad-tempered and rude to his partner, Kara, who seemed utterly baffled. They got into such a heated argument that Gaius was forced to split them up. And finally, Tyr, well-intentioned, but utterly clumsy, overheated the oil they were warming on hot plates and sent a billowing cloud of acrid black smoke into the lab room.

"Perhaps it is time to consult the sidhe," sighed Gaius. "Things seem to be getting out of hand and we may need another ally."

"I'd rather leaved them out of it, but I agree with you. The knights are too hot-headed to have them remember, though, and I don't think Arthur is ready."

"Gwen, then?" suggested Gaius once again.

"No, not yet. I was thinking Will, actually."

Gaius had never met Merlin's childhood friend, but he had heard him talked of many times. He knew Will had died when the warlord Kanen had attacked their home village, Ealdor.

"He died – saving Arthur's life, I might add - before Morgana turned bad. He'll only remember how she helped to save the village. And he knew about my magic since we were kids. He can keep a secret."

Gaius nodded. "I think he would be a good choice. When will you do it?"

"I have a shift with him tonight at the café. I'll do it then."

* * *

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